Time controlled cooking device



March 5, 1940. c. LURTZ TIME CONTROLLED COOKING DEVICE Original FiledJan. 21

Patented Mar. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application January21, 1932, Serial No. 587,887 Renewed November 25, 1936 9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic cooking devices andhas as its primary object the combining of novel instrumentalities of amusical blow instrument and a timing mechanism to eifect the signalingof the latter after a predetermined time in order to notify the operator of the lapse of the cooking period for which the device was set.ther objects reside in the novel construction of certain parts, in thejuxtaposition of the separate mechanisms for signaling the expiration ofthe cooking period and in the simple and inexpensive construction of theapparatus in general.

Further objects and advantages will be found in the followingdescription and the accompanying drawing illustrating one form of myinvention and in which:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of the entire device, taken on linei-| of Figs. 2 and i, showing it in a state as exists before or afterexpiration of the cooking time limit set. Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe apparatus indicating the mechanism in its normal position beforesetting the timer. Fig. 3 is an enlarged and combined diagrammatical andcross sectional view showing the interaction of the timing mechanism andthe whistle. Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal view of the clockmechanism as seen from the bottom before assembly with the lid. Fig. 5is a detail plan view of the timing mechanism exposing to View part ofthe mechanism for winding the spring.

Referring to the drawing, i represents a cooking vessel which may be ofany convenient shape or to hold one or more eggs 2 shown in dottedlines. This vessel is provided with a handle 3 and a removable lid 4. v

To said lid is secured, by rivets or otherwise, a whistle 5, comprisingin its essential parts a shell 5 with a cover I. The whistling sound iseffected by permitting the steam pressure from the vessel 5 to passthrough the hole 8 in the wall of the lid 4 and through the alined holes9, 9 made into the top and bottom walls of the whistle, respectively.

To render the signaling of the whistle time controllable a shiftablemetal strip [0 is arranged on the inside and bottom of the shell 6.Audible signaling is produced when the hole H in the member iii isbrought in alinement with the hole 9 permitting passage of steam throughthe whistle; this is automatically accomplished by a timing mechanismwhich will be hereinafter described. During the cooking period the hole9 is closed, to obstruct passage of steam, by the solid portion of saidclosure member ID (see Fig. 3) the latter being forced into thisposition by the coil spring (2 fastened at point l3. This hole closingmember I0 is limited and guided in a rectilinear movement by the outcutl made to one of its extremities, which engages the flat-headed pin 15 5rigidly secured to the bottom of the shell t, and the narrowed endportion I 6, providing shoulders H, and extending to the outside of thewhistle through an aperture made into the wall thereof. !8 representsholes for rivets.

The timing mechanism (see Fig. l) adapted to operate the whistle may beof a conventional type. One form of a simplified construction is hereshown comprising in part an escapement mechanism it including a balancewheel and a gear it) fast on its shaft 2!; these parts are arrangedbetween two parallel plates 2'2, 22' which are held together by theposts designated by the reference numerals 23. To the shaft 2| extendingwith one end through and above the plate 22 is rigidly mounted a pinion24 meshing with a gear 25 which is provided with a pinion 25 the latterbeing engageable with the center gear 2'! secured to its shaft 28 towhich is fastened one end of the spring 29 having its other end held bythe pin 3i); 9 a disc 3! is made fast to the extremity of shaft 2%! toprevent the spring from buckling when wound. In order to permitindependent turning of the center gear 2'! in its spring energizingstroke a somewhat simpler mechanism has here been supplied instead ofthe usual ratchet mechanism ordinarily employed for such purpose. Thisend is here accomplished by the gear 25, which is contiguous with theplate 22 and forms a continuous link in the train of gears. The saidgear 25 is rotatably mounted on a short shaft 353;, the latter extendingthrough the plate 22 and having at this end a washer 33 fastenedthereto, a sleeve 34 being secured to the other end of the shaft 32,projecting above the pinion, thereby keeping the said gear 25 in itsassembled place. An outcut or slot in the plate 22, shown in dottedlines in Fig. 5, accommodating the shaft 332 permits the gear to bemoved in a direction away from the pinion 24 (see Fig. i) so as todisengage therewith when the gear 21 is turned in the direction of thearrow. Normally the gear 25 is prevented from disengaging with thepinion 24 by the bent wire spring fastened with one end to the washer 33and bean ing with its other end against the projection 36 exerting inthis way a pressure on the gear 25 in the direction toward the pinion24. Winding of the spring 29 causes the gear E'lto engage with thepinion 26 of gear 25 which in turn is forced to disengage with thepinion 24 permitting the former to revolve freely; reverse movement ofthe gear 21 actuated by the main spring 29 causes reengagement of thegear 25 with the pinion 24 and the rate of movement of the gear train issubsequently controlled by the escapement mechanism, and the timeduration for the disengagement of the gear 21 with the pinion 26, whenthe former reaches its toothless section Bl, is depend out upon thenumber of teeth of the said gear 2'! having thus been engaged with thepinion 28.

As will be evident from the drawing, Fig. l, the shaft 28 extendsthrough the plates 22, 22 passing axially through the stem member 38 inwhich it is revoluble and is then fastened with its upper end to asecond stem member 35] by the set screw 45 The last named stem member isfreely turnable on the former and they engage one another by the reducedend portion of the one fitted into a large hole of the other (seeFig. 1) thereby relieving bending strain of the shaft 28 when handlingthe lid and also providing additional safeguard for moisture or dust toenter into the housing of the clock mechanism through the axial hole.

A disc 4! is riveted to the stem member 38 and the timing unit thusassembled therewith is accommodated in a casing 42 formed from the lid 4and is then enclosed by bending the peripheral portion 43 of the casingover the peripheral and knee bent portion 44 of the disc, the latterresting on a flange of the said casing and is so held clampwise andfirmly in place providing a dust and steamproof housing and protectingthe clock mechanism from damage.

A pin 45 fastened to the disc 4! and engaging in a hole in the plate 22'prevents the timing unit from turning with the shaft 28 when themechanism is operated. In a transverse groove of the shaft 28 adjoiningthe inside of the disc 4! is fixed a washer 455 which bears the strainwhen lifting the lid which otherwise would have to be borne by the gear21 and the plate 22.

For setting the timing mechanism and for handling the lid 4 a knob 41,having a large axial hole to fit over the said stem members 38 and 39,is secured to the said top stem member by a screw 48 so that whenturning the said knob all the other parts directly or indirectly securedthereto turn with it. Radially from the lowermost end of the knob 41 isformed an indicator 49, serving also as a whistle operating member,which may be brought opposite one of the marks or numerals 50,representing minutes and fractions thereof, and which are arrangedadjacent the said knob in the path of the indicator. Thus the time maybe predetermined and varied when setting the device according to theselection of the numeral to which the indicator is being moved; returnmovement of the manipulating knob 41, after having set the device tooperate for a definite time period, is consequently governed by theclock mechanism until the gear 21 reaches its toothless section 31 atwhich moment the full power of the main spring is transmitted to thesaid knob 41 which with its indicator moves the closure member ll]thereby opening the hole of the whistle permitting it now to give anaudible signal to indicate the expiration of the predetermined cookingtime.

To maintain even pressure in the cooking vessel is of advantage in orderto produce an even and nice whistling tone; a good result is effected bymaking a lid of specific weight which will permit the escape ofexcessive steam pressure by raising the said lid. Naturally the weightwill have to correspond with the size of the cooking vessel and that ofthe whistle as a little more or less steam pressure will be required ifeither one of the two last named is varied in size. Should the lid bemade of a very light metal such as aluminium it may be necessary toincrease its weight; this may be conveniently added by enclosing in therim a separate piece made of baser metal. Lid-locking devices could alsobe employed for the purpose above related to but the objection to suchan arrangement is that it would produce an inferior result and alsowould make the device more complicated to manufacture and to operate.

Operation of the device is as follows: The desired number of eggs areplaced in the receptacle 2 and a small quantity of Water is pouredtherein as steam will be sufiicient to cook the eggs evenly. The lid 4is then placed on the said vessel and the device may now be set byturning the knob 41 in a clockwise direction bringing the indicator 49opposite one of the numerals 50 which marks the duration of the timecontrolled cooking period after lapse of which the whistle isautomatically caused to signal. The vessel is now placed on the stove toboil the eggs and no further attention is necessary until thepredetermined time has expired. Manual turning of the knob 41, to setthe device for operation, effected the automatic closing of the hole 9of the whistle by the member [0, caused partial winding of the mainspring and caused the gear 21 to engage with the pinion 2B. Reversemovement, actuated by the recoil of the main spring, is then controlledby the clock mechanism and when the gear 2'! disengages with the pinion26 the indicator 49 has reached the engaging point of member I0,extending to the outside of the whistle, shifting it inwardly, from thesolid line to the dotted line position, shown in Fig. 3, so as to causethe member In, with its hole II, to open the hole 9 in the whistle whichnow produces a musical tone by the passage of steam there through fromthe cooking vessel. This is the signal to give warning to the attendantthat the eggs are cooked and he may now take the vessel from the stoveand remove the eggs therefrom.

It deserves consideration that a whistle is capable of emitting aprolonged sound as long as steam pressure is supplied for it and toaccomplish such a result would be more diificult and more expensive witha bell or similar musical instruments. And a signal of only shortduration has the disadvantage that it may easily be made inaudible bysome noise nearby coincident with it.

The foregoing will now suffice to set forth my real invention but itshould be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the specificconstruction which is here illustrated since various modificationsthereof will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is setforth in the annexed claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a fluid receptaclefor cooking, a cover therefor, a musical instrument signaling meanscomprising a valve, a timing mechanism for the operation of the latterand arranged in the center of said cover, indicia on the said cover toindicate the duration of a predetermined cooking time period, amanipulating member operable by said timing mechanism and an indicatorprovided on said manipulating member for indicating the cooking periodwhen turning the said manipulating member in a time setting directionand to operate the valve in said musical instrument when moving in areverse direction after lapse of a predetermined time.

2. In combination a cooking apparatus, comprising a fluid receptacle, acover therefor to permit development of gasiform pressure, a whistlearranged on said cover, a timing mechanism encased in the latter, avalve for opening and closing an aperture in said whistle, indiciaadjacent said timing mechanism and a time setting manipulating memberextending, above the cover, from said timing mechanism and beingprovided with a radially extending member for indicating the duration ofthe cooking time period and for operating the valve in the said whistlereflecting its signaling after completion of operation of the timingmechanism.

3. In combination a fluid receptacle adapted for cooking an article, aclosure therefor to permit development of gasiform pressure, a musicalblow instrument secured to said closure, a timing mechanism, amanipulating indicator for setting the latter to operate after apredetermined time, a spring for actuating said timing mechanism and avalve for said musical blow instrument to prevent signaling during thecooking time period and to permit signaling after having been opened, bythe said manipulating indicator indicative of the expiry of the cookingtime period.

4. In combination a fluid receptacle for cooking, gasiform pressuremeans therefor, a musical blow instrument arranged on said fluidreceptacle, a valve for opening and closing an aperture in said musicalblow instrument to control the passage of pressure gas therethrough anda spring operated timing mechanism, arranged on said receptacle, havinga manipulating member, comprising an indicator, for setting the deviceto operate for a predetermined time period when turning the saidmanipulating member in a spring energizing direction and for operatingsaid valve when turning in a reverse direction by the recoil of thespring of the said timing mechanism.

5. A device of the character described, comprising a fluid receptacle, acover for the latter to permit confinement of gasiform pressure in thesaid receptacle, a musical blow instrument signaling means on saidcover, a timing mechanism also on said cover, indicia adjacent saidtiming mechanism for indicating the predetermined time period afterwhich the device is to operate, a manipulating member for setting thetiming mechanism to operate, an aperture closing and opening memberprovided for said musical blow instrument said manipulating memberhaving an engageable portion for moving said aperture-closing andopening member to cause the signaling of said musical blow instrumentafter the expiration of a definite cooking time period for which thedevice was manually set.

6. A device of the class described, comprising a fluid receptacle forcooking, means for permitting the development of gasiform pressure insaid receptacle, a musical blow instrument operably connected to thelatter, a valve for the former having a member tending to keep the saidvalve in a closed position, a timing mechanism operatively connectedwith said fluid receptacle, a housing for the former, a manipulatingmember controlled by said timing mechanism, provided with a radiallyextending portion for opening the said valve after expiration of apredetermined time, indicia surrounding said manipulating member, ashaft connected to the latter and extending into the said housing, and aratchet mechanism included in said timing mechanism adapted to permitthe setting of the timing device for various intervals of time,according to the length of time after which it is desired ta effect theoperation of said musical blow instrument for signaling the expirationof the predetermined cooking period.

7. A device of the character described, comprising a cooking receptacle,a musical instrument signaling means therefor, a steam-proof housingcombined with said cooking receptacle, a timing mechanism accommodatedin said housing and a rotatable manipulating member interconnected withsaid timing mechanism, extending above the cover for said housing, andbeing provided with a radially arranged time indicator for engagementwith the said musical signaling means to afford the operation of thelatter for indicating the expiration of a predetermined time period.

8. A device of the character described comgprising a cooking receptacle,a cover, a timing device on the cover, a steam-proof housing for thetiming device, musical blow signal means on the cover, a control deviceshiftable for determining whether the signal means shall be operable ornot, and an operating member forming part of the timing device forshifting the control device.

9. A device of the character described, comprising a fluid receptacle, acover for the receptacle adapted to confine gas under pressure, amusical blow instrument signalling by such pressure, a variably settabletiming device, a housing therefor, a shiftable device forming a valvefor the blow instrument, a rotating member f orming part of the timingdevice and adapted to shift the shiftable device at a time determined bythe setting of the timing device to. open the valve and allow anypressure in the device to blow the blow instrument, and means normallyholding the shiftable device so that the valve is closed.

CARL LURTZ.

